Ex-Bournemouth striker Jermain Defoe has claimed he felt forced out by the Cherries, as opportunities were hard to come by under Eddie Howe. 

The former Premier League goalscorer has frequently found the back of the net everywhere he's been but struggled to make his mark during his time on the South Coast. Now, the 57-cap international has shed some light on his experience at Bournemouth. 

What did Defoe say?

Discussing his time with the Cherries on Darren Bent's talkSPORT show, he said the following. 

"Where I didn't get a run of games it was hard for me to perform, it was just stop-start," Defoe revealed.

"I played two games and then I'll just miss a few games. Towards the end, I almost felt like I was forced out and that was it, I didn't really get an opportunity. I didn't really have a relationship with the manager."

He later added: "He probably just didn't know how to manage me."

How did Defoe perform at Bournemouth?

Following his successful stint at Sunderland, where he scored 30 Premier League goals in his last two seasons with the club, the forward swapped the North East for the South Coast during the summer of 2017. 

However, the former Tottenham talisman struggled to replicate his goal-scoring form for the Cherries, as Defoe netted four times across 34 appearances, according to Transfermarkt

Time on the pitch was clearly an issue for the striker, as the then Bournemouth forward only played 1,444 minutes of football. Therefore, Defore only averaged 42.47 minutes per game in a Cherries shirt. 

How has Defore performed since leaving the Vitality Stadium? 

The 35-year-old joined Steven Gerrard's Rangers in January 2019 on an initial loan move but after impressing at Ibrox, Defoe earned a permanent move in July 2020. 

Since arriving in Scotland, the former international has recorded 39 goal involvements across 66 appearances for the Glasgow giants.  

Furthermore, across 1,000 minutes played during the 2019/20 Scottish Premier League season, Defoe had a hand in 14 goals. On average, the marksman was involved in a goal every 71.43 minutes.